Chapter 12 Flashcards
What is the origin of the term “scapegoat”?
It comes from an ancient Hebrew ritual where a goat was symbolically burdened with the sins of the people and cast into the wilderness, freeing them to flourish.
How has the concept of the scapegoat evolved in modern societies?
It has shifted from a healing agent to someone blamed for misfortune, relieving others of responsibility and reinforcing power structures.
How does the caste system use scapegoating?
It blames the lowest caste for societal problems, unifying higher castes by casting them as pure while the scapegoat absorbs blame.
What is an example of scapegoating in American history involving enslaved people?
Enslaved individuals were blamed for poor harvests or failures and were often violently punished despite working long hours under oppression.
What was the role of lynchings in the caste system?
Lynchings functioned as ritual sacrifices to uphold white solidarity and caste order, often carried out by mobs in public settings
How did scapegoating manifest in the Charles Stuart case?
Stuart killed his wife and blamed a Black man, triggering a massive police hunt and public outcry, until his brother exposed the truth.
How does the caste system contribute to unequal justice, according to Wilkerson?
It allows the dominant caste to shift suspicion and blame to the subordinate caste, even without credible evidence.
What was the Austin bombing example used to illustrate?
It showed how police failed to take the first deaths of Black and Latino victims seriously, reinforcing the expendability of the scapegoat caste.
What does Wilkerson suggest about systemic responses to crises like Ebola?
The delayed global and U.S. response to Ebola reveals how suffering in lower-caste or marginalized populations is often ignored until it affects the dominant group.
What larger theme does Chapter 12 underscore?
That scapegoating dehumanizes the disfavored and endangers society as a whole, reinforcing caste hierarchies at a devastating cost.
